Wonder How to Know If Your Spouse is Depressed? 4 Signs and a Solution

Have you ever wondered how to know if your spouse is depressed?

Exactly why this is relevant is because if this is not dealt with, it can cause severe problems in even the best of marriages. Therefore it is important to recognize signs that your spouse is depressed. We are talking about prolonged characterizations of these signs. Everyone exhibits some of these things from time to time.

You want to understand how to know if your spouse is depressed, and if it is a serious state of depression.

If you recognize and deal with these signs at an early enough stage, it might just save marriage. See, when depression depression is serious, even the best of marriages can be threatened.

I understand how you feel. There have been times when I have seen my wife exhibit one or more of these signs, and I wondered if trouble were on the way. On the other hand, I also have exhibited one or more of these signs, and I may have caused worry for my wife.

So, how do you discern whether the signs he or she is exhibiting is of a serious nature?

People who are successful at learning how to know if their spouse is depressed have discovered a secret.

What is that secret?

Here it really is: Four characteristics that are prolonged (for weeks or months at a time) and not just temporary in nature can be signs of serious depression in your spouse. Let's check out those four characteristics of depression, and then let us look at a solution.

1. Sadness

First of all, you are able to see signs that your spouse is depressed when he or she appears sad all the time. This is an ongoing sadness. No matter what you do, you cannot seem to cheer up your spouse. All the old things that brought happiness and laughter do not work anymore.

2. Tiredness

Not only can you see prolonged sadness. In addition, you can see prolonged tiredness in a spouse who is depressed. We all get tired from time to time, but we can usually explain why. We can point to things out of the ordinary that we have done, or we can point to long periods of work; however someone who is experiencing serious depression may feel tired all the time--without normal explanations for that condition.

3. Anger

Besides sadness and tiredness, you also can see prolonged anger in a husband or wife who is going through depression. Those individuals may not be able to explain, even to themselves, why they are angry all the time. (This may not fit every case of depression, but many times it does.)

4. Withdrawal

We all like some solitude from time to time, but a seriously depressed person can move more and more into a state of withdrawal. These people get to where they don't want to be around anyone from the outside, and they may get to where they will withdraw from you too.

5. Understand and Encourage to Get Help

Having seen the signs of prolonged sadness, tiredness, anger and withdrawal, you really need to be sensitive to what is going on with your spouse. If you react wrongly, you will probably compound the situation.

These four signs that your spouse is depressed are serious enough to give you cause for concern.

Be understanding of your spouse. He or she does not even know why this is happening. Without creating sparks and raising defensiveness, in a calm manner, begin to talk to your husband or wife about the situation. When he or she comes to the point of admitting that he (she) is depressed and that he (she) does not seem to be able to improve things on his (her) own, suggest that he (she) receive professional help. All the while, being understanding (to the best of your ability) while you suggest this.

If he or she agrees, you may see a dramatic recovery. Is this something that can save marriage--specifically, your marriage? It can be.

We now have seen that observing prolonged sadness, tiredness, anger and withdrawal will help you to learn how to know if your spouse is depressed. Then after that, you can take steps to deal with the situation.

Warning: Only reading about these signs just isn't enough. You'll have to act.

Get all the details you can to to help maintain and enrich your marriage.